


To the Wolves

by Rosewood_Writes



Series: Faded [2]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Animal Death, Gen, Injured Inquisitor, Minor Violence, Wolves
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-29
Updated: 2018-11-29
Packaged: 2019-09-02 09:10:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 705
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16783969
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rosewood_Writes/pseuds/Rosewood_Writes
Summary: Ethira has escaped the battle, but finds herself cornered by a pack of wolves. Desperate to find shelter for the night, she has to fight her way out yet again.





	To the Wolves

The first wolf leapt at her from behind. Ethira swung her staff around, giving the beast a hard smack to the jaw. It yelped in surprise. The smell of singed fur tickled her nose. She withheld a cry of pain as her side smarted from the movement.  
Her first blow had clearly given the wolves pause. They must not have expected her to put up much of a fight. Now, they circled her, more wary of the flaming staff in her hand. Ethira wondered if they would sense a lost cause and give up.   
But she was wrong.  
The largest gave a vicious snarl as it crouched in front of her. She stared down into its hungry eyes, challenging, daring it to attack. Another leapt at her right side, an attack she quickly countered with a stabbing blow from her staff blade, pinning it to the ground. The wolf squealed as she pulled the blade from its side. It got up and disappeared beyond the light of her staff.   
Crushing jaws clamped down around her ankle. She let out a howl of pain and jabbed the blade of her staff into the wolf’s head. It let out a high pitched whine as it went still. The pressure around her ankle released as the beast’s jaws went slack.   
Another leaped at her, receiving a sharp rap to its throat from her staff as she shielded herself. She fade stepped a distance away, giving herself time to ready herself to face the rest of the pack. Her magic would have to be used sparingly. She didn’t want to set the whole forest on fire, or leave too visible of a trail for enemies to follow.   
First came the leader, the largest of the four remaining. He lunged at her, large teeth bared. Ethra sent him scurrying back behind his pack with a jet of fire that seared off the fur on his left shoulder. She drew a line of fire around herself, watching the beasts from behind her wall of flame.   
They circled her for several minutes, cautious now. Their leader glared at her maliciously. She stared back with just as much hatred. One of them was going to die. And it sure wasn't going to be her.   
The wolves all looked around as a loud, low howl pierced the night. It was far away, but the sound still carried. The remaining wolves fled, tails between their legs, fearful of this foreign wolf in their territory. Ethira took the hint and fled in the opposite direction, extinguishing her protective fire barrier.   
The land sloped upwards. Hope surged through her. Mountains meant caves, or a sheltered rock outcrop. She limped onward, eager to rest for the night. There was no possible way for her to survive the night out in the open.   
She almost cried as she saw the small cave above her on the steepening hill. She was cold, her body ached, and her side had started bleeding again. Quickly, she scrambled up the rocks and settled into the far back of the cave, casting aside her staff and lying on the ground with a stifled groan. With an effort she summoned a ball of blue fire and huddled near it, shivering.   
As heat loosened her stiff joints, she looked down at her ankle. The mail boot cuffs she wore had protected her from most of the damage. A few of the links were bent out of shape, but not in a way that would hinder her. The bite would definitely bruise.   
Her side was oozing blood again, but not as severely as before. She untucked her long tunic from her leather trousers and cut off the bottom portion. Slowly, she wormed her way out of her tunic and leather coat and wound the strips of cotton around her side. The tight pressure of the fabric on the wound hurt horribly, but faded as the minutes passed. She didn’t have the strength to heal such a wound now. It would have to wait until she found the others the next day.   
Exhaustion swept over her. Wearily, she created a wall of ice to block the entrance of the cave before fatigue and pain dragged her into unconsciousness.


End file.
